García, Cimber, and Tonkin Be part of New Bullpens on One-12 months Offers

Whereas wanting again on the free agent signings I lined final winter, I observed a little bit of a sample. On the identical day Aaron Decide got here to phrases on a nine-year, $360 million cope with the Yankees, I wrote about Miguel Castro. On the identical day Brandon Nimmo agreed to a $162 million cope with the Mets, I wrote about Matt Strahm. On the identical day Yu Darvish and Bo Bichette signed contract extensions, I wrote about Pierce Johnson and Scott McGough. Whereas the remainder of the baseball world was targeted on All-Stars and mega-million-dollar contracts, I discovered myself drawn to mid-tier relievers on small-scale offers.

We’re not farming for clicks right here at FanGraphs, and I’m grateful to jot down for a web site the place I by no means need to give you scorching takes or deceptive headlines. Fortunately, I’ve by no means been requested to jot down about one bizarre trick for evading the posh tax or why dermatologists hate Gabe Kapler. Nonetheless, it’s good when others learn your work, and as a lot as I really like them, I do know center relievers don’t rack up pageviews like middle-of-the-order bats. Whereas I’ve a weak spot for run-of-the-mill bullpen arms — the extra atypical the higher — I do know I would like to withstand the pull.

“Leo,” I stated to myself when the offseason started. “You may’t write about so many relievers this winter. You wrote about Joely Rodríguez final yr. Possibly this time you cowl Eduardo Rodriguez as a substitute?”

Flash ahead to the ultimate day of the Winter Conferences, and I’m right here to jot down about Luis García, Adam Cimber, and Michael Tonkin. Just like the 2020 Phillies, you would say I’ve a bullpen downside.

Late on Tuesday evening, García (the reliever, as if that wanted to be stated) signed a one-year, $4.25 million cope with the Angels. Shortly thereafter, within the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Tonkin agreed to a one-year cut up contract with the Mets that may pay him a prorated portion of a $1 million annual wage for as a lot time as he spends on the MLB roster. Later that day, the Angels struck once more, signing Cimber to a one-year, $1.65 million deal.

After a six-year tenure with the Phillies, García bounced round between the Angels, Rangers, and Cardinals from 2019 to ’21 earlier than signing a two-year, $7 million cope with the Padres. Within the first yr of that contract, the right-hander put collectively what was arguably the most effective efficiency of his profession, pitching to a 3.39 ERA and a pair of.60 FIP in his highest-leverage position up to now. He recorded a career-high three saves, 19 holds, and 1.51 common leverage index (pLI) en path to a 1.6-WAR season, ninth amongst NL relievers. What’s extra, he solely appeared to get higher because the yr went on, growing his strikeout charge and inducing extra mushy contact. That sample continued into the playoffs, the place he struck out 5 batters in 4 appearances, with a median exit velocity of 81.7 mph on 12 balls in play.

Sadly, the veteran couldn’t keep that degree of success in his age-36 season. His strikeout charge dropped, his stroll charge rose, and though he continued to induce weak contact on the bottom, he gave up extra onerous pulled contact on balls within the air. García additionally misplaced velocity on his sinker and slider, his two main pitches, resulting in a drop in Stuff+ and botStf. General, his numbers have been completely acceptable — a 4.07 ERA and 4.29 FIP in 59.2 IP — however supervisor Bob Melvin clearly misplaced religion within the righty because the yr went on. He had a 1.46 common leverage index when getting into video games (gmLI) in April, however a 0.58 gmLI over the remainder of the season:

That’s to not say García didn’t pitch in any high-leverage spots. Though he completed with the sixth-lowest gmLI amongst certified NL relievers, he additionally completed with the Nineteenth-highest common leverage index when exiting video games (exLI). The 0.76 distinction between these two numbers is unusually excessive for a non-closer:

In contrast to the closers round him on that checklist, García usually entered video games in lower-leverage spots. As a non-closer, he additionally exited much more video games than any of them, giving his exLI a a lot bigger pattern measurement. In different phrases, no reliever in baseball reworked video games (or had video games remodel round him) fairly like García in 2023. That’s not essentially a superb or unhealthy factor; typically he elevated leverage by giving up runs, different instances by pitching a clear inning, and sometimes, the Padres’ offense elevated the leverage for him as he was sitting on the bench. Nonetheless, it’s a enjoyable reality. Though he was downgraded to a low-leverage reliever, García ended up pitching in some fairly thrilling spots.

General, nonetheless, his 2023 marketing campaign was about as unexceptional of a season as a reliever might probably put collectively: an ERA just under common, a FIP simply above, and a WAR that’s a rounding error away from zero. His $4.25 million assure is a wonderfully cheap quantity for a pitcher who can eat 60 innings in a season at that degree of efficiency. García isn’t going to repair an Angels bullpen that posted an AL-worst 6.14 ERA and 5.40 FIP over the ultimate two months of the 2023 season, however at the very least he might help make up for the lack of Matt Moore and Reynaldo López, two of the one productive relievers who appeared for the Angels down the stretch.

As well as, the Angels additionally picked up an upside play in Cimber. The 33-year-old is just one season faraway from main the majors in appearances (with a 2.80 ERA, no much less) and comes on the low price and dedication of 1 yr and $1.65 million.

Cimber was one of the sturdy relievers within the recreation from 2018 to ’22. Solely 4 pitchers made extra appearances in that point, and solely two — Adam Ottavino and Andrew Chafin — did so with a decrease ERA or FIP. Whereas he bounced from San Diego to Cleveland to Miami within the early years of his profession, it was in Toronto the place the submariner actually broke out. Dealt to the Blue Jays mid-way by the 2021 season, he pitched to a 2.42 ERA and three.24 FIP in 108 innings over his first yr and a half with the membership.

Regrettably, Cimber’s 2023 season was largely misplaced to damage. One thing appeared off proper out of the gate, and two stints on the injured checklist restricted him to twenty.2 innings, wherein he posted a 7.40 ERA, a 7.46 FIP, and a meager 12.6% strikeout charge. His velocity was down on all three of his pitches (though his slider was a lot slower that it regarded like a complete new pitch, not simply the results of working by damage). He threw fewer strikes and induced fewer swings, but gave up extra balls in play. It actually didn’t assist that so a lot of these balls in play have been hard-hit and pulled within the air.

On the one hand, I don’t need to learn too deeply into his numbers from 2023, given on a regular basis he spent on the IL. On the identical time, it’s removed from a assure that Cimber will regain his fastball velocity, which wasn’t so excessive to start with, and return to full well being in his mid-30s. If he can get again to his pre-injury kind, he can be a precious asset to the Angels’ bullpen; Lord is aware of they want it. But when Perry Minasian actually needs to enhance one of many worst bullpens in baseball, his work is way from completed.

Talking of horrible bullpens: Mets relievers posted a 5.20 ERA and 4.63 FIP post-trade deadline this previous season, and so they’ll be even worse off with out Ottavino and Trevor Gott. The return of Edwin Díaz will make an amazing distinction, however David Stearns nonetheless must fill out the bullpen round his star nearer. That’s the place Tonkin is available in. Whereas he doesn’t have the innings-eater observe report of García or Cimber, he threw 80 innings final season, fifth amongst all relievers. That can come in useful for a Mets staff in want of arms.

Tonkin spent the primary 5 seasons of his MLB profession with the Twins, the place he by no means made a lot of an impression, producing precisely 0.0 WAR in 141 video games. Lastly, after his disappointing age-27 season in 2017, the Twins offered his contract to the Nippon-Ham Fighters of NPB. Whereas he wasn’t a lot of a substitute for Shohei Ohtani, who the Fighters misplaced to MLB that very same yr, the righty was a stable reliever throughout the 2018 season, pitching to a 3.71 ERA in 53 video games and gathering 12 saves. He selected to come back again stateside in 2019, and he would spend the following a number of years bouncing round between the minor leagues, the Atlantic League, and the Mexican League earlier than lastly making his approach again to the majors with the Braves in 2023. He spent the complete season on the massive league roster and served as supervisor Brian Snitker’s go-to lengthy man, ending second amongst NL relievers in innings pitched and recording greater than three outs in two-thirds of his appearances.

Whereas his 4.28 ERA, 4.43 FIP, and 0.1 WAR hardly stand out, particularly given the low-leverage spots wherein he was deployed, each staff might use a near-replacement-level pitcher who can throw that many innings out of the bullpen. In spite of everything, there’s a purpose Tonkin caught on the roster all yr for a Braves staff with a top-five bullpen within the NL. What’s extra, the pitch modeling knowledge underscores him as somebody to control subsequent season. PitchingBot was impressed along with his command, Stuff+ appreciated his stuff, and each modeling techniques have been excessive on his sinker, his main pitch.

The Angels and Mets have been two of the largest disappointments in baseball final season, but neither plans to rebuild or “reset” in 2024. For sure, none of those signings handle the largest issues in Anaheim or Queens, however hopefully they’ll make these two bullpens a bit extra watchable subsequent season. As for what the Angels and Mets must do subsequent? Depart that to another person. I’ve bought relievers to jot down about.